Case information
Conduct a refined search of the Supreme Court of Canada database to obtain details on the status of a matter before the Court.
40377
Bruce J. Slusar, et al. v. Merchant Law Group LLP
(Saskatchewan) (Civil) (By Leave)
Docket
Judgments on applications for leave to appeal are rendered by the Court, but are not necessarily unanimous.
| Date | Proceeding | Filed By (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-04-14 | Close file on Leave | |
| 2023-03-30 | Copy of formal judgment sent to Registrar of the Court of Appeal and all parties | |
| 2023-03-30 | Judgment on leave sent to the parties | |
| 2023-03-30 |
Judgment of the Court on the application for leave to appeal, The application for leave to appeal from the judgment of the Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan, Number CACV2434, 2022 SKCA 75, dated June 29, 2022, is dismissed with costs. Dismissed, with costs |
|
| 2023-02-13 | All materials on application for leave submitted to the Judges, for consideration by the Court | |
| 2022-11-24 | Applicant's reply to respondent's argument, (Book Form), Completed on: 2022-11-28, (Printed version filed on 2022-11-28) | Bruce J. Slusar |
| 2022-11-14 | Certificate (on limitations to public access), (Letter Form), 23A, (Printed version filed on 2022-11-17) | Merchant Law Group LLP |
| 2022-11-14 | Notice of name, (Letter Form), (Printed version filed on 2022-11-17) | Merchant Law Group LLP |
| 2022-11-14 | Respondent's response on the application for leave to appeal, (Book Form), Completed on: 2022-11-17, (Printed version filed on 2022-11-17) | Merchant Law Group LLP |
| 2022-10-14 | Letter acknowledging receipt of an incomplete application for leave to appeal and without formal Court of Appeal order, FILE OPENED: 2022-10-14 | |
| 2022-09-28 | Certificate (on limitations to public access), (Letter Form), Form 23A, (Printed version filed on 2022-10-03) | Bruce J. Slusar |
| 2022-09-28 | Notice of name, (Letter Form), (Printed version filed on 2022-10-03) | Bruce J. Slusar |
| 2022-09-28 |
Application for leave to appeal, (Book Form), Missing: - Final CA Order signed (rec'd 2022-10-25), Completed on: 2022-10-26, (Printed version filed on 2022-10-03) |
Bruce J. Slusar |
Parties
Please note that in the case of closed files, the “Status” column reflects the status of the parties at the time of the proceedings. For more information about the proceedings and about the dates when the file was open, please consult the docket of the case in question.
Main parties
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Slusar, Bruce J. | Applicant | Active |
| Bruce J. Slusar Law Office, P.C. Inc. | Applicant | Active |
v.
| Name | Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Merchant Law Group LLP | Respondent | Active |
Counsel
Party: Slusar, Bruce J.
Counsel
Christopher Rusko
50 rue O’Connor
Bureau 1313
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6L2
Telephone: (613) 907-5652
FAX: (613) 907-5652
Email: jlaxer@powerlaw.ca
Party: Bruce J. Slusar Law Office, P.C. Inc.
Counsel
50 rue O’Connor
Bureau 1313
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 6L2
Telephone: (613) 907-5652
FAX: (613) 907-5652
Email: jlaxer@powerlaw.ca
Party: Merchant Law Group LLP
Counsel
100 - 2401 Saskatchewan Drive
Regina, Saskatchewan
S4P 4H8
Telephone: (306) 359-7777
FAX: (306) 522-3299
Email: tmerchant@merchantlaw.com
Summary
Keywords
Law of professions — Barristers and solicitors — Contingency fees — Respondent acting for client under a contingency fee arrangement — Client advancing claim arising from attendance at a residential school — Client changing counsel, retaining applicants — Respondent asserting claim against applicants — Respondent seeking to have the value of its prior legal work deducted from settlement funds obtained for the client — Whether lawyers are liable for legal fees their clients owe to former counsel — Whether permitting the claim to proceed to trial would frustrate the objectives of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement — Whether a judge considering a motion to strike is permitted to make complex legal findings in order to strike out a claim.
Summary
Case summaries are prepared by the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada (Law Branch). Please note that summaries are not provided to the Judges of the Court. They are placed on the Court file and website for information purposes only.
Respondent Merchant Law Group LLP (“Merchant Law”) had undertaken legal work for a client, pursuant to a contingency fee agreement, to advance a claim for damages arising from his attendance at a residential school. The client later retained applicants Bruce J. Slusar and Bruce J. Slusar Law Office, P.C. Inc. (“Slusar Law”) as his new counsel. Merchant Law notified Slusar Law that it claimed a solicitor’s lien on the file and sent a statement of its account in relation to the client.
Several years later Merchant Law brought a claim against the client and Bruce J. Slusar personally. Merchant Law discontinued its claim against the client, but later filed an amended statement of claim adding Slusar Law as a defendant.
A motions judge dismissed Merchant Law’s claim. Merchant Law appealed. The Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan allowed the appeal.
Lower court rulings
Court of Queen’s Bench of Saskatchewan
2013 SKQB 204, 421 Sask R 291, Q.B.G. No. 1504 of 2012
Statement of claim struck
Court of Appeal for Saskatchewan
2022 SKCA 75, CACV2434
Appeal allowed; fresh evidence application dismissed
Filed documents
The memorandums of argument on an application for leave to appeal will be posted here 30 days after leave to appeal has been granted unless they contain personal information, information that is subject to a publication ban, or any other information that is not part of the public record. You may also obtain copies of the memorandum by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a memorandum of argument or want to use a memorandum of argument, please contact the author of the memorandum of argument directly. Their name appears at the end of the memorandum of argument. The contact information for counsel is found in the “Counsel” tab of this page.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available
Related links
The factums of the appellant, the respondent and the intervener will be posted here at least 2 weeks before the hearing unless they contain personal information, information that is subject to a publication ban, or any other information that is not part of the public record. You may also obtain copies of factums by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a factum or want permission to use a factum, please contact the author of the factum directly. Their contact information appears on the first page of each factum.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available
Related links
The condensed books of the appellant, the respondent and the intervener will be posted here upon receipt of the electronic version, 2 days prior to the scheduled appeal hearing. You may also obtain copies of condensed books by filling out the Request for Court records form or by contacting the Court’s Records Centre either by email at records-dossiers@scc-csc.ca or by telephone at 613‑996‑7933 or at 1‑888‑551‑1185.
If you have questions about a condensed book or want permission to use a condensed book, please contact the author of the condensed book directly. Their contact information appears on the first page of each condensed book.
Downloadable PDFs
Not available